I've got a new Rem. 40-X in .22-250 that's going to get its first workout on coyotes this Jan. in Wyoming.
Anyone have a suggestion for where to hunt woodchucks or rockchucks, preferably on public land? What time of the year is good for them?

I don't know about rockchucks, but woodchucks hibernate. This pretty much makes it a late spring/summertime sport. Pennsylvania is littered with woodchucks, but good luck getting some of our stubborn farmers to grant you permission to hunt them.

I've heard of public land hunting for rockchucks in the Rockies.
If I decide to go in the spring, does anyone have any suggestions for a particular region or state in the west?

The Monumont Creek area on the back side of Grand Mesa,via Colbourn,cross Vega dam,4 wheel accessable.Do not go till mid June.If they aren't out sunning yet go lower between Debeque and Parachute for prarie dogs.The coyotes in that area will still be raising hell with there new young and killing small lambs. Many of the sheep men will be glad to see you.If you got time to bum around you'll get the hang of it. Have a lot of gas and a good bed role. roger OH! That's in Colorado

Great information. Thanks very much!

Lots of coyotes around here. Farmers and ranchers pay $75 a pelt. You get $3000 for a mountain lion.

We have a season in Colorado for marmots. It doesn't start until August, and you're supposed to eat them. Our anti's at work. If yoy know somewhere between Parachute and Debeque where there is a dog town, please PM me. I have driven that stretch of highway for 31 years now and haven't seen a p-dog along there for quite a while.

quote:

Originally posted by cobrad:
We have a season in Colorado for marmots. It doesn't start until August, and you're supposed to eat them. Our anti's at work. If yoy know somewhere between Parachute and Debeque where there is a dog town, please PM me. I have driven that stretch of highway for 31 years now and haven't seen a p-dog along there for quite a while.

Must admitt my information is a little dated, but only going back to about 1968. The Mesa (south) side of the road near Parachute was full of PDs. I don't think it was as far as Anvil point or Silt. Could have been though. roger

Did I understand you right that the info you were passing was from 1968??

Curious

Mark D

If you are thinking of the mesa just south of Parachute, it is now a subdivision called Battlement Mesa, complete with 18 hole golf course. It was built in the late 70's when the oil shale boom was happening. What a shame to ruin a perfectly good 'dog town that way.

quote:

Originally posted by Mark Dobrenski:
Did I understand you right that the info you were passing was from 1968??Mark D

Yes, Mark, and it seemed like only yesterday.

Cobrad, 16 rd. just North of the irrigation canal before you get into the Book Cliffs.That was like my private reserve. It would really hurt to hear that it got civilized. roger

Time do fly don't it!

Mark D

I'm heading down to Grand Junction this weekend to see family. I'll keep an eye open for 16 rd. I believe that is much farther west than Parachute. I'm always on the lookout for PD's; it's a passion for me. Some of the places I used to shoot around Grand J, Delta, and up toward Hotchkiss have disappeared from the plague, and the few places I still shoot between GJ and Delta, the 'dogs are smart and most shooting is between 300 and 500+ yards. It's not high volume shooting by any means.

quote:

Originally posted by cobrad:
I'll keep an eye open for 16 rd. it is off the old GJ Fruita Hwy. Once you cross the canal it becomes an area of oppurtunity and not only for PDs. From the canal to the Book Cliffs you might jump jacks, coyotes, antelope, and in the winter couger. I'm always on the lookout for PD's; it's a passion for me. , and the few places I still shoot between GJ and Delta,When you're out that way try the Escalante turn off. Just after you cross the Gunisson use to be an interesting area the 'dogs are smart and most shooting is between 300 and 500+ yards. It's not high volume shooting by any means.I've only done high volume shooting only once. I had to ask myself if I really enjoyed killing that much. The slow long range stuff was really more gratifying to me. I use to live in the Red Lands and PDs could be had right out my back door There are more people out there now than there were PDs

roger

bartsche, okay, now I have an idea of where you are talking about. I have shot out that way before. Not high volume, but like yourself, I really enjoy the long range precision shooting. I have shot many times along the Escalante Canyon road. Next summer I am going to head over to the Nucla and Naturita area. I've heard for years there's good shooting over there. I have also read there's some pretty good gopher shooting in CA. Have you carried on the varmint shooting there?

So I assume that these places are all good for chucks.
It sounds like prairie dogs live in the same habitat, no?
Somehow I thought chucks lived in different locales.

Sorry slancey, I've gotten completely off topic and hijacked your thread. No, you won't find any chucks around PD's. Chucks live at higher elevations. I have shot them on ranches around the hay fields, and above timberline. One key I have found is to look for rocks; rock piles, talus slopes, boulders in or around the fields, that sort of place. I like to hunt the really high country, so every year I drive up on the passes, above timberline, and glass in the above described places. I now carry a Kimber Montana .243 with a 4.5-14 scope just for 'hogs. The rifle weighs nothing and those 58 gr v-max's at 3780 fps are super effective. One hunt I really enjoy is to hike into a series of lakes I frequent,at elevations all above 12,000 ft to fish for cutthroat trout. I carry that .243, and hunt for 'hogs as I hike. I can't wait, only 9 more months to go...

Cobrad: I have shot on several ranches in Montana and Wyoming that have both Rock Chucks and Prairie Dogs on them!
Last spring I and a friend from Yelm, Washington killed both Rock Chucks and Prairie Dogs from the same set up spot on a ranch in central Montana.
It is a rare thing to shoot from one spot and kill both Prairie Dogs and Rock Chucks but I have done it in a couple of different places. Several ranches I Hunt in Montana and Wyoming have both Rock Chucks and Prairie Dogs. I have one ranch in central Montana that has not only Rock Chucks and Prairie Dogs on it but also Ground Squirrels and a host of other Varmints like Badger, Fox, Coyote, Raccoon, Skunk and several varieties of flying Varmints.
If you are saying that Chucks are able to live at much higher elevations than Prairie Dogs then yes I agree with that. And at the highest elevations that Chucks live you will not see Prairie Dog towns at all.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

quote:

Originally posted by VarmintGuy:
Cobrad: I have shot on several ranches in Montana and Wyoming that have both Rock Chucks and Prairie Dogs on them!

First off I absolutely believe what you are saying. No arguement here. The area Cobard is discussing goes fro 4500 ft. to 11100ft. in less than 12 miles as the crow flys.The temperature can be over 100 in the lower elevation and in the high 50s up high.In that area I have not seen a whistle pig ,marmot or rock chuck perhaps below 8000ft.I can not remember seeing PDs there above 7000ft.That said I can see that someone acclimated in such an area might mistakingly draw the conclusion that these animals do not co-habitate.I know that I did. The never seen it ** it must not be so. Thanks for the info.

12000 ft lakes with cut throat? Must be a real short spawning up there. Use to fish one at 11000 ft. near the mount of The Holy Cross and those natives were pushing slush aside to breed on july 15th.

Varmintguy, well shoot, I want to hunt where you are! I guess my comments are accurate only as far as what I've seen in the places I hunt. Bartsche, I hiked into one of my favorite lakes on the 3rd of July this year, and it was almost totally frozen. There was one open spot about 20' wide and 100' long. I saw one fish, he made a half-hearted pass at my spinner, then the snow started falling so heavily we decided it was time to leave. A few weeks later I was at another lake in the same drainage standing in the midst of a riotous mix of wild flowers catching 14-16" cutthroats until my arm got tired. I love it when it happens that way.

Bartsche & Cobrad: I just checked my maps and one of the ranches I Hunt Prairie Dogs and Rock Chucks on is at 2,775' elevation. Much lower than what you folks are dealing with. I remember Hunting Prairie Dogs in Utah at a rather high elevation some years ago. I have an altimeter in the VarmintMobile - but I can not for the life of me remember the elevation exactly. Just the remembrance of my surprise at the high elevation - I will get out my Utah maps and see if I can figure out the elevation.
I know I have shot Prairie Dogs at elevations in excess of 6,000' in Wyoming.
There are some mountain ranges here in the northern Rocky Mountains that do not normally open up for travel (by car or hiking even) to allow Chuck Hunting until late June or early July! Indeed I was Hunting Chucks once in a high mountain range some years ago at 10,000' elevation when a blizzard (white out) arrived and put an end to our fun. This Hunt was being conducted in early August on our way to the Varmint Hunter Associations annual Jamboree!
We scampered back down the trail to the VarmintMobile and headed for the low country!
We waited around a couple days shooting Prairie Dogs but never ventured back into the "high country" for more Chuckin! The "white" up there never went away that week!
In other words be careful up in the high country any month of the year.
Am I wrong in stating that timberline here in the northern Rockies is at 10,500'? I know the closer one is to the equator the higher the timberline.
What elevation is timberline in Colorado? Arizona?
Long live the High Mountain Whistling Marmots!
In my old home state of Washington the "High Mountain Whistling Marmots are protected. The Yellow Bellied Marmots (a seperate species that lives at lower elevations) is legal to Hunt there. Washington state also has another species of Marmot that lives at very high elevation only. It also is protected from Hunting. It's the Olympic Marmot and lives only in the secluded mountain range of that name - the Olympics.
These Marmots are distinctive in their pelage (coloration) in that they are mottled or multi colored like Calico cats with different shades of yellow and brown on their backs in random patterns!
Long live the Chucks!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

quote:

Originally posted by VarmintGuy:
Bartsche & Cobrad: I just checked my maps and one of the ranches I Hunt Prairie Dogs and Rock Chucks on is at 2,775' elevation.You'd have to look real hard to find elevation that low in Colorado. I think the Eastern prarie border is even higher.
Am I wrong in stating that timberline here in the northern Rockies is at 10,500'? I know the closer one is to the equator the higher the timberline.I think that's close. We always thought it to be 11000ft.

nice thread Roger

quote:

"...And the words of the liberals were as farts in the wind, with no meaning and even lesser value."

But you have to admit the farts smell better than liberals breath.

dougw 1969:

As an old and now long retired chuck hunter (I'm 75) I read your post with a smile. Your problem is that Pennsylvania has lots of fertile ground to grow crops. I hunted chucks in Putnam and Dutchess counties in NY where the ground was rocky and hilly and suited only for dairy farming. The farmers didn't like the idea of a cow breaking her leg by stepping into a chuck hole so I always got permission. (I was using a 220 Swift and when asked what caliber I was carrying when I would ask permission, I would say "22". My conscience always made me admit that it was a centerfire! Surprisingly, provided that I was at least 200 yards away from the herd, they never got spooked. ( A 48 gr. bullet moving out at 4140 fps was ear cracking enough that I, as a teenager wore pieces of cotton in my ears)